Does anyone have any information about a new radio station coming to Lavonia, Georgia? Lavonia is a small town in Franklin County, near the Georgia/South Carolina border.
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Lavonia, Georgia Radio
- Thread starter radioman1964
- Start date
There are no proposed or existing stations with a Lavonia COL. The only thing close by are the competing applications for 95.3 in Due West, SC. Is someone doing the pirate thing up that way?
I found what I needed to know...
Hello, Lavonia
By Kristopher Hall
Anderson Independent-Mail
August 14, 2006
LAVONIA, Ga. - Radio listeners in at least five northeast Georgia counties - and possibly parts of the Upstate of South Carolina - are to have another option soon on their radio dials.
The Georgia-Carolina Radiocasting Co. plans to begin broadcasting an FM station providing programming specifically to Franklin, Hart, Stephens, Jackson and Madison counties in Georgia, according to company officials. The new station is to be located in the old Lavonia police headquarters.
The station, tentatively registered as WTCO, should reach from Gainesville to Elberton and from Anderson to Athens and will operate 24 hours a day providing local news and music, said Art Sutton, president of Georgia-Carolina Radiocasting Co.
Mr. Sutton said WTCO plans to offer daily news for Franklin County focusing on the Lavonia trade area. The music format has yet to be selected pending a survey of local advertisers and community listeners.
Georgia-Carolina Radiocasting Co. operates 13 other small-market radio stations in northeast Georgia, Upstate South Carolina and western North Carolina, according to Mr. Sutton. Although two of these stations currently broadcast to the Lavonia area — WNEG AM 630 in Toccoa and WGOG FM 96.3 in Walhalla, S.C. — the new station plans to transmit a much stronger signal at 6,000 watts, he said.
That’s powerful enough to reach 40 miles from the transmission tower, which will rise 300 feet above average terrain, he said. The station’s first broadcast is not expected until at least March 1, 2007, because of Federal Communications Commission licensing requirements and studio construction, which is not completed.
The station expects to employ a general manager, three advertising sales representatives, a local news director and possibly three full-time announcers as well as additional part-time announcers, Mr. Sutton said. He said the hiring emphasis will be on finding local people to work at the station.
"We prefer to hire local people and teach them radio," Mr. Sutton said.
The old police headquarters building was declared surplus by the city and offered for sale by bid at the March 6 council meeting, said Jason Macomson, a Lavonia City Council member.
The broadcast company bought the building — the only other bid was considered too low — for $90,000 on Aug. 7. The company will still need to pay an additional $157,000 to outfit the station and construct a tower, Mr. Sutton said.
He said other locations for the station were considered, and some would have been less costly.
"(But) there simply isn’t anything like actually being there if you want the station to be close to the community and important to the community," he added.
Mr. Sutton said he’s excited about locating in Lavonia because he’s impressed by the progressive nature of the city.
"Of all the markets we operate, we have never had a more enthusiastic welcome to a community as what we are receiving from Lavonia," he said. "Folks have been terrific."
Mr. Macomson said he hopes there will be "other more intangible benefits including name recognition, promotion of local business and events, and regional exposure."
"I have heard only positive, enthusiastic comments," he said.
The Lavonia City Council summary describes the location of the tower as northern Franklin County in the Red Hill area, but Mr. Sutton said the location has not been finalized. This general area is the most likely because of its higher elevation.
As well as providing local news and music, the station will be equipped with emergency communication equipment to alert listeners to emergency situations. The station and tower will both be constructed with backup power systems in case of power outages, and the FM transmission will not be reduced after sunset as are AM frequencies, Mr. Sutton said.
Hello, Lavonia
By Kristopher Hall
Anderson Independent-Mail
August 14, 2006
LAVONIA, Ga. - Radio listeners in at least five northeast Georgia counties - and possibly parts of the Upstate of South Carolina - are to have another option soon on their radio dials.
The Georgia-Carolina Radiocasting Co. plans to begin broadcasting an FM station providing programming specifically to Franklin, Hart, Stephens, Jackson and Madison counties in Georgia, according to company officials. The new station is to be located in the old Lavonia police headquarters.
The station, tentatively registered as WTCO, should reach from Gainesville to Elberton and from Anderson to Athens and will operate 24 hours a day providing local news and music, said Art Sutton, president of Georgia-Carolina Radiocasting Co.
Mr. Sutton said WTCO plans to offer daily news for Franklin County focusing on the Lavonia trade area. The music format has yet to be selected pending a survey of local advertisers and community listeners.
Georgia-Carolina Radiocasting Co. operates 13 other small-market radio stations in northeast Georgia, Upstate South Carolina and western North Carolina, according to Mr. Sutton. Although two of these stations currently broadcast to the Lavonia area — WNEG AM 630 in Toccoa and WGOG FM 96.3 in Walhalla, S.C. — the new station plans to transmit a much stronger signal at 6,000 watts, he said.
That’s powerful enough to reach 40 miles from the transmission tower, which will rise 300 feet above average terrain, he said. The station’s first broadcast is not expected until at least March 1, 2007, because of Federal Communications Commission licensing requirements and studio construction, which is not completed.
The station expects to employ a general manager, three advertising sales representatives, a local news director and possibly three full-time announcers as well as additional part-time announcers, Mr. Sutton said. He said the hiring emphasis will be on finding local people to work at the station.
"We prefer to hire local people and teach them radio," Mr. Sutton said.
The old police headquarters building was declared surplus by the city and offered for sale by bid at the March 6 council meeting, said Jason Macomson, a Lavonia City Council member.
The broadcast company bought the building — the only other bid was considered too low — for $90,000 on Aug. 7. The company will still need to pay an additional $157,000 to outfit the station and construct a tower, Mr. Sutton said.
He said other locations for the station were considered, and some would have been less costly.
"(But) there simply isn’t anything like actually being there if you want the station to be close to the community and important to the community," he added.
Mr. Sutton said he’s excited about locating in Lavonia because he’s impressed by the progressive nature of the city.
"Of all the markets we operate, we have never had a more enthusiastic welcome to a community as what we are receiving from Lavonia," he said. "Folks have been terrific."
Mr. Macomson said he hopes there will be "other more intangible benefits including name recognition, promotion of local business and events, and regional exposure."
"I have heard only positive, enthusiastic comments," he said.
The Lavonia City Council summary describes the location of the tower as northern Franklin County in the Red Hill area, but Mr. Sutton said the location has not been finalized. This general area is the most likely because of its higher elevation.
As well as providing local news and music, the station will be equipped with emergency communication equipment to alert listeners to emergency situations. The station and tower will both be constructed with backup power systems in case of power outages, and the FM transmission will not be reduced after sunset as are AM frequencies, Mr. Sutton said.
I'm guessing that this station will be on 95.3 and is the result of the app process I mentioned. If not, what frequency will it be on and where was it moved in/out from?
P
PaulBWalkerJr
Guest
It appears this is the 95.3 that will be licensed to Due West, SC.
The other applicant was Frank Neely, who owns the 1490 in Chester.
The other applicant was Frank Neely, who owns the 1490 in Chester.
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